Improper building techniques are often the underlying culprit behind high energy costs, structural damage, and even health problems for the building inhabitants. Many of these problems are the direct result of improper ventilation. In the hot summer, direct sunlight overheats the roof, and creates a furnace effect in the attic. The air in the house, especially on the second floor if present, becomes unbearable. Excessive energy consumption from fans and air conditioning drives up electric bills. In the winter, condensation of humid air in the attic can lead to rotting of structural wood, deterioration of insulation, and result in mold and mildew leading to health problems. Finally, a lack of proper roof ventilation results in rapid aging of the roof, which may lead to leaks and home damage.
Various attempts have been made to address these problems. These attempts can be seen by example in several U.S. Patents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,180, issued in the name of Grange, discloses a ventilated roof construction system having a continuous corrugated baffle positioned between parallel roofing members. The baffle is provided to allow air flow from the fascia to the ridge to prevent the formation of ice dams.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,990, issued in the name of Paquette, discloses a ventilation system for roofs comprising an impermeable sheet having a series of openings on its surface and a series of roofing supports to provide a means to dry roofing insulation when there is a break in the vapor barrier protecting the insulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,780,099, issued in the name of Harper, discloses a roof ventilation system comprising a plurality of roof panels having an internal triangular shaped baffling for facilitating the flow of air from lower edge portions of the roof structure to the upper ridge portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,281,522, issued in the name of Hawryshko, discloses a roof ventilation system comprising a first sheathing layer and a second sheathing layer divided by a plurality of venting channels that are trapezoidal or angular in shape and each side panels of the vented channels have a plurality of vent openings to facilitate air flow.
Other solutions include ridge cap ventilators and roof construction, as can be seen by example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,314, issued in the name of Waggoner, which describes a roof ventilation apparatus and ventilation spacers for placement between fascia and roof sheathing, as can be seen by example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,551, which describes a ventilation spacer for roof construction.
While these devices may accomplish their specific intended purpose, each suffers from one or more disadvantages or deficiencies with respect to design, function, or effectiveness and none address the need for a solution of promoting appropriate ventilation utilizing metal roof panels. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which roofing can be provided with complete and thorough ventilation in an effort to combat the above-mentioned problems. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.